26. Out of the 96 schools on the roll only 87 wed dispersed owing to the house in which they were located i an adjacent house, and were excused examination, the grant three preceding years. One school had to leave the premises oce few of the scholars attended a school in the vicinity under the same the year and were examined there. Four schools are closed pending The teachers of two schools died during the year.
493
schools were temporarily afe by the demolition of the results of the in a month's notice; a nt for the remainder of engagement of teachers.
27. The life of Chinese Grant-in-Aid Schools in Hongkong is precarious in the few exceptions they occupy hired rooms. Suitable premises are hard to find, and only by the month the schools are liable to have to remove at very short notice. There teacher to each school and his death or protracted illness ruins the school for the year, teachers with the requisite qualifications are not easily met with.
28. Through the kindness of the Committee I was again enabled to hold the written examina- tion of the four highest standards of the English Grant-in-Aid Schools in the City Hall. This course was adopted last year on the advice of my predecessor, Dr. EITEL, and I have every reason to be satisfied with the result.
29. Another case of fraud in which two Masters were implicated was detected at the annual examination of a Chinese school and was punished in the usual way by making a deduction from the grant and by disqualifying the teachers from teaching in Grant-in-Aid School in future. I gather from one of the Indian Education Reports that in such cases the teachers are prosecuted and I am of opinion that this should be done in future in Hongkong.
30. Mr. J. G. DA ROCHA was appointed assistant examiner in Portuguese.
31. Two years ago I pointed out that 99 per cent. of the boys and 93 per cent. of the girls in Chinese Grant-in-Aid Schools were in the three lowest standards. I have tabulated below the returns made by each school at the time of examination, and it appears from them that with the exception of Girls Schools in Class III more than half the scholars spend not more than a year in any particular school. A small percentage may have attended other Grant-in-Aid Schools in previous years, but the number cannot be large. In considering the educational problems of Hongkong these two facts are worth bearing in mind.
Table shewing the Percentage of Scholars who entered the Grant-in-Aid Schools in which they were
examined before 1897, in 1897 and after, and before and in 1899.
Class.
Before 1897.
In 1897 and after.
Before 1899.
In 1899.
Victoria,
I.
Boys,
Villages,
85 555
98
28
72
97
24
76
22
Victoria,
9
91
44
Girls,
Villages,
5
95
43
616
56
67
III.
Boys,
Girls,
15
40
88
85
46
55
60
77
136
23
32. THE KOWLOON SCHOOL.-It has been decided to open a Government School in Kowloon for the teaching of English. A school house and teacher's quarters are to be presented to the Colony by Mr. Ho TUNG, and the buildings are in course of erection.
33. Staff.—From the 16th March to the 7th July I was acting as Registrar General, and from the 19th July to the 30th September I was absent from the Colony on vacation leave and the Revd. T. W. PEARCE acted as Inspector of Schools.
34. Mrs. BATEMAN the Headmistress of the Belilios Public School, was granted leave on the 14th March and Mrs. TUTCHER, who had returned from leave on the 18th February, has since acted as Head- mistress. Miss LEY KUM, who was appointed Temporary Assistant Teacher in March, 1898, resigned on the 17th February, 1899. On Mrs. BATEMAN's departure Miss ELLA KING was appointed Tem- porary Assistant Teacher.
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